Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Wednesday wrote to the Department of Justice and several other federal agencies seeking information on the ongoing fraud scandal linked to the Somali community in Minneapolis, Minn.

Viral reporting from independent journalist Nick Shirley highlighted the abundance of allegedly fake daycare centers run by Somalis in the city that were receiving public funds. Just the News reported this week that roughly $700 million in cash linked to the Somali community left the Minneapolis airport in 2024 and 2025. Other scandals have involved fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program and other federal funding programs.

“As you are aware, public reporting has emerged regarding deplorable fraud schemes in Minnesota that deliberately targeted federal programs designed to assist children with autism, the elderly and small businesses,” Grassley said. “Any attempt to steal taxpayer money is utterly unacceptable; however, these crimes are especially heinous when they target programs which support Americans struggling to care for their children or elderly relatives.” 

Grassley also wrote to the FBI, Small Business Administration (SBA), the Departments of the Treasury, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, Agriculture (USDA), Homeland Security (DHS), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

He asked each agency to provide information on the estimated scope of the fraud and to outline the steps they had taken to prevent such activities.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.